MLB.com's Carrie Muskat has been covering Major League Baseball since 1981 and is the author of "Banks to Sandberg to Grace: Five Decades of Love and Frustration with the Cubs." You can follow her on Twitter @CarrieMuskat. Here, she blogs about the Cubs.

Closure with Marmol

Carlos Marmol was disappointed he didn’t get the Cubs’ closer job. Lou Piniella did talk to the right-hander shortly before Monday’s game.

“It was all about competition, that I can tell you,” said Piniella, who picked Kevin Gregg to be the closer on Sunday. “I don’t know how many innings Gregg has pitched but he hasn’t given up a run all spring. I’ve said all along that either way we went, we’d be making the right choice.”

Gregg has pitched 8 1/3 innings this spring, Marmol has totaled eight. Gregg has not given up a run; Marmol has served up four and also hit five batters.

“I’m sure he’s disappointed, or he is disapointed,” Piniella said. “He needs to get over it and pitch and help us win baseball games. I know he will. He’s a good young man and he competes well and today he’ll get the ball and we’ll go from there.”

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